Gun Safety For Kids Is A Matter Of Life And Death

The U.S. has one of the highest reported rates of unintentional child gun deaths in the world.

Not many people are aware how big of a problem gun accidents in the US actually are. According to Everytown for Gun Safety, during 2016 alone there have been well over 200 shootings involving children ages 1 to 19.

5% of all gun deaths are accidental, mostly because a weapon was left in plain sight. Every one of those is avoidable.

There’s more…

This number is gradually increasing each year. The most absurd thing is that this problem can be easily solved by helping adults treat the problem the right way. A more common sense method of looking at gun safety for kids is necessary.

We’ll take you through a few simple steps that can help protect kids in the next few paragraphs. While not a comprehensive list, this is a step in the right direction.

Gun Safety For Kids Can Be Controversial and Difficult To Talk About.. But We Need To

Guns are a fairly controversial topic with many opinions and rhetoric on both sides; injecting children only makes it even more touchy. One thing everyone can agree on, however, is that gun safety for kids should be paramount in any discussion. Everyone has an opinion on how to do this, however we will focus on two somewhat different strategies.

Here’s a few options…

Some people believe that the perfect approach is to simply keep the child away from the firearm, with specific instructions not to ever touch it. On the other hand, there are those who want to let the children know as much as possible about a variety of firearms, especially those which are owned by a third of the population in the US alone.

The second stance might actually be a much better option. Three strong points follow covering why children should learn and understand what gun safety is.

Children are the future and keeping them safe until they grow up is the most important goal of every parent out there. This is why children should be familiar with gun safety. It is simply the best way of keeping them safe from injuring themselves or others by accident.

The bottom line is:

If guns are in the house, there should be a concerted effort by the parents to make sure the child knows and understands the inherent risks they represent as well as a physical barrier to protect the gun from the child when not supervised.

Store The Weapon To Reduce Risk

Not keeping guns away from children is the first cause of these types of accidents. It is up to adults to keep the weapons and everything related to them out of their children’s reach. Some people simply do not put in a lot of effort when appropriately storing a gun.

This is one of the most crucial elements to improving gun safety for kids. A lot of good options exist in the form of high-quality gun safes. If you own a gun, and don’t own a safe, stop reading and go buy one. We recommend one of the best, most trusted brands out there: Winchester. Read our reviews on Winchester gun safes here. With regard to locking mechanism, a great idea is a fingerprint gun safe. These will only open for the specific person and there are no keys to find and use… it’s your finger.

Teach Them About Firearms And Gun Safety To Remove The Mystique

Teaching the child about firearms is going to put them in a much better position. However, it is important to keep in mind that a one-year-old should not be taught, but a child that is considered to be mature enough to understand all of the important facts about a firearm.

The more the child knows, the better off they are in they find themselves in any situation. The child should be taught about firearms gradually because there is a lot of information to acquire and children process and understand information differently at different ages.

It’s an ongoing endeavor. Investing time in the teaching process is essential in order for children to stay safe.

And third?

Give Them Practical Knowledge for All Lifes Situations

Only by understanding and keeping these two facts in mind, you’re greatly going to help keep children safe.

Another reason for pushing gun safety for kids is practical knowledge. There are plenty of things that we get to learn and understand in life, and firearms should be part of it as well. By simply helping the child understand everything important about firearms, you are going to put him or her into a position to act responsibly in a challenging situation.

For example, a child who knows about gun safety is going to know how to act if he or she sees an adult or a friend with a gun. It is quite simple, if you can teach them about crossing the street without being hit by a car, it is possible to teach him about guns and what are the appropriate steps to take.

As many other types of applicable knowledge, teaching a child about guns is going to be a great experience for them.

Showing Them Proper Gun Safety For Kids Can Help Feed Their Curiosity

All of us were quite curious when we were children. There are so many things to explore and, to be honest, there were only a couple of situations when our parents’ “NO” seriously stopped us from doing something irresponsible.

Don’t be convinced that your child is not going to touch a gun simply because you said so. Curiosity is the greatest act of rebellion and it is stronger than any command you can give.

A much smarter choice is to take advantage of it and solve the mystery for your child (and keep it out of their hands when they are alone).

Why?

By showing them the weapon and teaching them about it, the curiosity feeling is going to disappear from their mind. This is actually a great approach for many other things, and you should take advantage of it more often, to take more control when it comes to keeping your kids safe.

These are the three top reasons why you should teach your child about gun safety that we came up with in one article but many, many more exist.

To put it succinctly…

By understanding, and implementing these reasons, you may help your child understand and know what guns are and how they can stay safe with them. This will help improve gun safety for kids everywhere.